Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year

Each year many of us set resolutions for the new year and don’t see much change.  If done correctly you can set Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year and have a dramatic ripple effect on your health, and happiness.

I personally use and love the Shining Business & Life workbooks from Leonie Dawson, they have totally changed how I do things each year and really help me get my goals and values in line...but here are some simple tips you can get started with right away (perhaps while you wait for them to show up in the mail ;) )

Smile More Often:

It’s a well known fact that the simple act of smiling can make you happier and healthier, even if your smile is forced. According to the facial feedback hypothesis, smiling activates the release of dopamine, endorphins and serotonin, neurotransmitters that help reduce stress and elicit positive emotions. Plus, smiling can be contagious. When you smile, you are more inviting, attractive, relaxed and sincere to others. Choose to Smile Often!

Have a Health and Fitness Regimen:

Regular physical exercise and a healthy nutritional diet cannot only help with weight management, but also can reduce stress, fight disease, improve your mood, and improve your energy levels and sleep. Regular exercise and eating healthier can also help you appear be a better leader.

Schedule Personal Time:

YES… Schedule personal time. With our busy lives most of us don’t personal time, so schedule it. Evidence suggests that the most productive people are not the busiest but the best at prioritizing their free time. So schedule time for personal passions, family, and other activities that are important to you.

Only Commit to Things You Can Do:

Many people want to say maybe to things, or yes, even when they know that they will cancel when it comes up anyhow. Don’t do this! If you can’t make it to dinner with your friend next week don’t say maybe in fear of disappointing them, just say you can’t. Not overextending yourself will save you time and consternation down the road. Plus, when you can actually commit, the person knows you mean it and it will mean something to them.

Use Your Calendar:

The best way to stay on top of your goals is to be relentless about your calendar. Managing things to do, things that are important to you, your deadlines, and more will keep you organized, and ensure that you prioritize your most important tasks. Remember that your schedule and calendar should include time with family and friends, reading, personal hobbies, workouts, and all the other things that are important to you and your health.

You will be amazed how these guidelines can be the Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year. When you create your personal to-do list and make it as important as your work to-do list, you begin to create balance. Those these are Resolutions that Can Change Your New Year, it is important to re-evaluate everything you are doing on a weekly and monthly basis. You may want to consider setting up reminders for re-evaluation as well. You can create change in your New Year.

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Tips to Leave the High Calorie Holidays Behind

Okay, the holidays are about over. It is time to leave the high-calorie holiday world behind. Here are Tips to Leave the High Calorie Holidays Behind and get back on track to fat loss and a healthy body.

These Tips to Leave the High Calorie Holidays Behind will help you get on the fast-track to results, but in a way you can use for the entire year as you implement all your health and fitness strategies to a healthier lifestyle.

Plan, Shop, and Prepare a Meal Plan

Plan, shop, and prepare is a MUST. I don’t just mean planning what you are going to eat for dinner. I mean planning what you are going to eat for every meal for the next 2 weeks.

Your schedule might go like this:

• Pre-exercise – Energize
• Breakfast – 2-3 eggs, 1 apple, Green Tea or coffee (if you do a post workout recovery drink use half an apple and only two eggs)
• Snack – 1 oz raw almonds, 1 pear, Green Tea or Shakeology
• Lunch – Grilled chicken, fish, or black beans with a spinach salad, onions, peppers, etc., a banana or bowl of cherries, 2 cups unsweetened iced tea with lemon
• Snack – Raw vegetables and hummus
• Dinner – Protein, vegetables and fruit… Steak, chicken or fish, a sweet potato, your favorite vegetables, and a bowl of your favorite fruit for dessert.

Once per week you can have a slightly larger meal of your favorite foods – whatever you want. Just remember there is NO binging or eating into a food coma.

Sticking to this for 14 days could cause weight loss of 5-11 pounds in 14 days.

Use High Intensity Workouts

You really have everything you need to get started. Most programs don’t need any equipment, or they need something as easy as a resistance band. Check out INSANITY Max30 for workouts that are only 30 minutes. Yes, done in 30 minutes.

Let nothing stand in the way of your workouts except real emergencies! Switching to High Intensity Workouts will burn more fat than the usual walking,  jogging, or elliptical sessions.

Be sure to check out On-Demand Fitness for the best workouts available for at home use.

Write Your Way to Fat Loss

Writing and journaling about what you are doing is good for the mind, body, and soul.

You must also carve out 15 minutes to write out two outcome goals and three process goals for the next 2 weeks. Write down EXACTLY what you want to accomplish for the outcome goals (i.e. lose 6 pounds), and then three process goals (action steps) so you can achieve your outcome goal (i.e. drink Shakeology each day, do all 21 Day Fix Workouts per the Calendar, and drink 10 cups of water each day).

Next write a letter to yourself how you will do these action goals every day or else. Each day before you start in your journal write the action goals for that day (i.e. drink my Shakeology, do 21 Day Fix Dirty 30, Drink 10 glasses of water). At the end of the day, journal how your day went, how the exercise and nutrition went, and whether you completed your goals.

Recruit an Accountability Partner

Research has shown that recording your nutrition in a food journal, and having someone review and or do it with you increases your chances of reaching your goals. A third study found that even having an accountability coach online increased your chances of success by 70%. This is why I'm dedicated to being your coach because I can help you reach your goals, and you can participate in a Challenge Groups to work with a group and get results faster.

Journal Check-In and Cheat Meal

When you have made it seven days and can truly go into your journal and say I accomplished seven days with success. You can have a cheat meal (meal, not day). Be honest. If you truly didn’t do what you needed to do, then be honest.

This cheat meal doesn’t mean gorging. It simply means having a normal meal of your favorite foods to give you a mental break from your plan. When the meal is over, don’t go back for seconds. Get right back on track.

Mental Performance Review

Since you will be reviewing your journal you may want to take a weekly Mental Performance Review. Write down all obstacles that are still in your way of success, and then develop two solutions that can help you overcome each of them. Get some help from your accountability partner, coach, or challenge group. The more you and your group shares solutions, the more weight loss you will all accomplish.  

Using these Tips to Leave the High Calorie Holidays Behind should be used on a two-week basis. Once you have completed two weeks’ review and start the process again. In the first two weeks if you use a coach, sound nutrition plan, and a high quality workout program, I bet you will lose 5-10 pounds of fat, have a good start on developing healthy habits that you could stick to for life.

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Day 24 Macro Meal Plan update

I'm starting to feel frustrated a bit.

Somedays I feel like I've made progress, my skin feel tighter, I don't feel like I have as much fat in certain areas, but then some of the major areas I'm trying to get at (my lat's) haven't changed at all.

My husband says he's noticed a difference mostly in my lower abdomen area, which is one of the areas I've been concerned about, so that's good, but I haven't seen any change in my numbers or in my photos.

I've been really good about tracking everything I eat in the MyFitnessPal app, but I think it's not the best way to do things...there are so many different options for the foods that who knows if I'm actually sticking to the macros laid out for me.

As far as workouts go, I've been very consistent with daily workouts, but not in the exact format given to me. I've typically been doing some kind of T25 workout for cardio, perhaps with the lifts worked in that I'm supposed to do, or I'll do them right after, and then take my dog for a walk.

Last night I started to feel like this whole thing was taking over my life and that it wasn't worth it, I was stressed and all I wanted was a glass of wine or something else to help me feel more calm, not the 20 more grams of protein I was supposed to eat.

If I'm being totally honest with myself, even though I've made lots of changes to how I eat, I haven't been following the plan as it was laid out for me, and I think it's why I'm not seeing the results I want.
I like doing two workouts in a day, if I have the time, but things have been so busy this time of year with work that in the evenings I always have something I have to do, so a second workout wasn't an option.

However this next week I have less to do and I'm going to focus more and get to following the designated meal plan instead of the DIY style I've been doing to see if it makes a difference.

As silly as it is, I feel like the meal prep containers would be really helpful to get me mentally prepared because then I wouldn't have to measure and portion everyday, but I have SO MANY containers that I can't justify buying more...and especially plastic ones...I hate plastic :(

So long story short, I haven't been sticking to the plan as much as I probably thought I was, so it's time to get back to it.

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Day 23 Macro Meal Plan Update

This past week has been tough.

Between all the Thanksgiving dinners and the family vacation I just went on I KNOW I've had more 'cheat' meals than I was supposed to, simply because I was eating out and had little control over what was in the food.
Each time I actually tried to stay as close to what I was supposed to be eating for the day as possible, sticking with lean protein options and veggies, but it's hard to really know what you're getting.

I've been great about getting in exercise most scheduled days as I was already habituated to it.

Typically I've been doing a T25 video in the morning for cardio, and if it works out well, doing the lifts I'm supposed to do for the day during the video or right afterwards.

Some days I've taken my dog for a short run and then done the lifts later in the day, and I actually really like this way of doing things, as does my dog :). However I have a hard time pushing myself when I run as I've had issues with my lungs in the past where I end up coughing blood when I push myself too hard, with no explanation available from doctors, but it never seems to happen when I'm doing any other kind of intense cardio (like T25!), so I tend to stick to that, or when I am on a run I give myself permission to stop and start as often as I feel I need to.

I also came across the idea of Rest Based Training from the Metabolic Effect people and really love the style of training. The concept is basically to Push until you can't, Rest until you can, so it ends up creating a personalized interval training style of cardio.

They are also big proponents of walking for an hour or more a day, especially if you can do it right after a workout that is more 'metabolic' in nature as they say it helps to circulate and burn up any of the stored fat that you may have just mobilized. It's also helpful for reducing stress levels, which I know is personally a HUGE factor for me when it comes to where I hold my extra body fat....stress is weak point for sure.

Overall I LOVE being able to do some cardio in the AM and then doing some heavier lifting in the PM as I feel the best during both workouts when I do it this way. It's hard to have energy for both the weights and the cardio in the AM if I'm doing them fasted, I find I'm not as strong for lifts and that's always annoying when I know I can lift more than I am. But having the time to workout twice a day is not always possible for me, so I do the best I can and try not to stress about it (because more stress isn't obviously not good!)

I've found the MyFitnessPal app to be the BEST thing ever for helping me track what I'm eating because at almost no point in time have I actually followed one of my designed days that was created for me, but I have tried to stay within the guidelines (my macros) created but I wonder if I've been doing it right. I've for sure reached 140g or more of Protein each day as I've been very intentional to do that (and it's way more protein than I've ever eaten before!), and typically I'm somewhere around 140g of Carbs, but I since the MyFitnessPal app makes you choose your macro % in increments of 5 for the free version, I've been ending up somewhere around 60g of Fat each day (I put in that I'm supposed to be eating 1700 calories/day) and I wonder if I"m not eating the correct ratios of the macros.

I wish there was a way for you to see my food journals on the app each day!

My goal for this next week is to prep according to the meal plan you gave me and NOT go off-roading like I have been and see how it changes things for me.

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The Masters Hammer & Chisel Details

Have you heard about the new program The Masters Hammer & Chisel?

It's a new program created by the people who made 21 Day Fix and BodyBeast and it's got a lot of buzz already...probably becase of photos like these:

And you may be wondering if it's a program you should try, so I'm here to answer that for you!

What is The Master’s Hammer and Chisel™? 

For the very first time, trainers Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese have teamed up to create an expert program designed to help you craft a powerful, perfectly defined body. The Master’s Hammer and Chisel is an innovative resistancetraining system that incorporates three muscle-sculpting phases—Stabilization, Strength, and Power—or SSP Training.

This is how Sagi and Autumn help you efficiently build, chisel, and refine a masterpiece physique in just 60 days.

About your Trainers 

Co-creators Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese are experts when it comes to incredible physical transformations. Sagi has been crowned Mr. Israel— twice—and is a Master Professional Personal Trainer, IFBB Pro, member of the IFBB Propta Hall of Fame, Certified Nutrition Specialist, and Functional Diagnostic Nutritionist.

Autumn Calabrese is a celebrity trainer, best-selling author, and working mom who has held certifications from the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) and the American Fitness Professionals & Associates (AFPA), and has competed at the national level in various bikini competitions.

What makes The Master’s Hammer and Chisel incredibly effective and unique?

The Master’s Hammer and Chisel is built on the three phases of SSP Training— Stabilization, Strength, and Power. Other workouts only focus on one or two phases, which might give you decent results. But The Master’s Hammer and Chisel program incorporates all three methods to help you relentlessly chip away fat and carve every muscle for a strong, visually stunning body in 60 days.

It has 12, 30- to 40-minute workouts that combine Sagi and Autumn’s proven techniques for 60 days of hardcore resistance training.

Sagi and Autumn make eating for your goals simple. That’s why they included their easy-to-follow and completely customizable nutrition plan, along with 7 portion-control containers that show you how to portion out the right amount of food to help you reach your unique fitness goals.

The flexible nutrition nutrition plan allows you to lean out, sculpt and maintain, or build muscle, you decide depending on your specific goals.

Includes options to adapt certain exercises if you have limited access to equipment. (Though you can get all the equipment you online pretty easily)

Includes a modifier who demonstrates some moves at a lower intensity.

Who is this program for?

Anyone looking for a comprehensive resistance-training or muscle-sculpting program, ideally you would have had some experience with weight training before, so if you're new to weights then something like the 21 Day Fix may be better for you.

Any who enjoyed Body Beast®, 21 Day Fix®, or 21 Day Fix EXTREME® will LOVE this program...I've done both 21 Day Fix and BodyBeast as well as gotten to preview some of the workouts in this program and they are awesome...this is my plan for January 2016.

Those who like the motivating styles and proven training methods of trainers Sagi Kalev and Autumn Calabrese...I personally love the way Autumn coaches in her videos, and Sagi is hilarious because I feel like I'm being coached by Arnold...which would be awesome!

If you crave a simple, flexible nutrition plan to reach your unique goals then this is definitely for you as they make it really easy to follow and stick to a plan.

What equipment do you need?

This program is designed for people who already have a weight lifting background, so either you have access to what you need at a gym, or you can start to build your home gym (this is what I do ;) )

For this program you'll need some weights or a set of bands (though I highly suggest you use dumbbells as you get a better workout...I have bands and use them for certain things and for travel), a bench or stability ball, and a chin-up bar (and maybe an assistance band for it) or resistance band with a door attachment kit.

1. Stability Ball
2. Red Resistance Band

3. Door Attachment
4. 8-lb. Medicine Ball - if you go with the Delux upgrade this comes with it!

What supplements will I need for this program?

NUTRITION IS EVERYTHING!

You can't get the physique you want and stay healthy for the long term unless you're fueling your body with the nutrients you need.

I have a whole post about the supplements I take on a daily basis and that I recommend for all my clients, however for this program you'll probably want an extra boost in order to get maximum results.

1. Shakeology - The Challenge Pack comes with your first month's supply of Shakeology, and this is the most cost effective way to get it...it's a total nutrition shake and so much more than just protein. The adaptogenic herbs alone are worth adding this in to your daily routine.
2. Performance boosters - this program is designed to build muscle and sculpt your body, so you really need to pay attention to what you give your body in terms of nutrition to do that. The following supplements are going to help you get maximum results, but they aren't 100% necessary (but definitely recommended)
1. Energize - Blast through your toughest workouts with a surge of energy! Take Energize before every workout to help sharpen your focus, push harder, and last longer—because every ounce of extra energy means better results. Energize contains key ingredients scientifically shown to buffer lactic acid buildup and delay exercise-induced muscle fatigue, improve performance, and help you push with maximum intensity
2. Hydrate - Boost hydration during your workouts for outstanding performance. Typical sports drinks have too much sugar and artificial ingredients that can actually dehydrate you. And water alone doesn't effectively hydrate during exercise or replace what you lose through sweat. Hydrate is specially formulated for all-out performance with an optimal balance of carbohydrates, electrolytes, and water that quickly replaces what's lost and improves endurance, so you can work out longer and feel better
3. Recover - Help combat exercise-induced muscle soreness and jump-start recovery so you can hit every workout with strength and intensity. Recover takes advantage of the critical post-workout window with the ideal combination of time-released proteins and phytonutrients to help facilitate muscle recovery while helping to reduce muscle breakdown. Take Recover after every workout to help combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, speed muscle recovery, support muscle growth, and restore your strength
4. Recharge - Support your body's recovery overnight with Recharge. It's specially formulated to help accelerate overnight recovery, combat exercise-induced muscle soreness, and promote muscle growth when your body is primed to accept it—while you sleep! Slow-release protein, amino acids, and powerful phytonutrients help reduce muscle breakdown, promote lean-muscle synthesis, and reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
5. Creatine - Blast through high-intensity exercises and turn your last rep into the second or thirdlast rep. Creatine helps you get extra strength so you can push that much harder in every workout, for ultimate performance and quicker results. Creatine monohydrate is the purest, safest, and most effective form in the world—it's scientifically shown to help boost strength and power, improve high-intensity performance, and enhance the effects of resistance training
   You can also get them as a pack that saves you over $45, one with creatine and one without creatine...or try out a single serving of each before you decide if you want to go for the whole thing

What’s included?

• 12 workouts on 6 DVDs that rapidly build, chisel, and refine your body using SSP Training. 
• A set of 7 portion-control containers and a Shakeology® shaker cup to help you master the art of nutrition— and sculpt your ultimate physique. 
• The Master’s Hammer and Chisel Program and Nutrition Guide, with your straightforward eating plan, easy-to- make recipes, and Sagi and Autumn’s expert tips for getting the most out of your workouts. 
• Quick-Start Guide lays out your 3-step blueprint for building the body you’ve always wanted.
• 60-Day Calendar that shows you which workout to do each day for efficient and effective training. 
• PLUS 2 FREE BONUS WORKOUTS 
• 10 Min Ab Hammer: Carve definition into your core while strengthening your entire ab complex.
• 10 Min Ab Chisel: This core-crusher will transform your midsection, without ever getting on the floor.
• Access to the program online from anywhere
• When you purchase The Master’s Hammer and Chisel and become a Premium Team Club member, you’ll get unlimited access to On Demand, where you can stream The Master’s Hammer and Chisel and hundreds of other proven workouts via any desktop, tablet, TV, or mobile device—wherever you have an internet connection.

The Base Kit

So what does it cost?

Always an important question...you have lots of options when it comes to this program, which means you can choose the best fit for your goals and budget

• Shakeology Challenge Pack - $160.00 full program with Shakeology, the nutrition guide, and portion containers
• Performance Challenge Pack - $160.00 full program with the Performance line instead of Shakeology, the nutrition guide, and portion containers
• Base Kit - $89.95 includes the full program, the nutrition guide, and portion containers
• Deluxe Kit - $179.70 includes everything in the base kit plus 4 advanced workouts, an 8lb medicine ball, and an extra set of containers
• Deluxe Upgrade - $89.85 would be good to add to either of the challenge packs or to get later on
• Deluxe DVD's only - $44.85 would be good to add to either of the challenge packs or to get later on if you don't need the medicine ball
• Basic Performance Pack - $109.95 adds on the Energize and Recover performance supplements and would be good to get along with any of the options above if you're interested in getting maximum results and don't want to do the full Performance line talked about above
• Full Performance Pack - $214.95 has the full line of performance supplements for ultimate results

Did I mention that if you sign up as a discount member with me you can get 25% off all of the programs and supplements? If this is interesting to you please reach out to me to talk about what this means (Hint: it's really easy to do!!)

Hopefully this answers all the questions you may have about the program! But if it doesn't please don't hesitate to reach out to me and ask, I'm always here for you!

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Protein Gingerbread Balls

It’s easy to overindulge during the holidays with tempting treats like eggnog and gingerbread.

Luckily, you can create healthy recipes for all of your holiday favorites. These no-bake gingerbread balls are a surprisingly delicious way to enjoy the spiced flavor of gingerbread cookies. With only 58 calories per serving, these treats will satisfy your sweet tooth and keep you off Santa’s naughty list.




Yield: about 18 servings, 1 ball each

Ingredients:
¼ cup almond flour
¾ cup dry old-fashioned rolled oats, gluten-free
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder (I use either Shakeology or Vega Sport in my recipes)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1¼ cups pitted dates, packed

Preparation:
1. Place almond flour, oats, Shakeology, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves in a food processor; pulse until mixture is the consistency of flour.
2. Add half of dates; pulse until well blended.
3. Add remaining dates; pulse until mixture forms a uniform dough.
4. Shape dough into eighteen walnut-sized balls; place in airtight container.
5. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour before serving.

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Thanksgiving Macro Counting (Day 11)

Super excited to check in today because even though yesterday was Thanksgiving I feel like I did really well staying on track. I got up in the morning, did some cardio and some lifting, then ate two small meals before leaving to go to the first dinner at 3pm.

The only things I could eat at the first dinner was the ham and the sauteed greens my sister had cooked, so it was easy enough to not over do it on all the different dishes. I had made my own dessert and put it in the MyFitnessPal app and calculated it out so I was able to keep pretty good track of what I was eating. I did end up have two glasses of some really good expensive scotch that my dad's friend had bought, so the no alcohol thing went down the tube, but it was totally worth it this day.

At the second dinner I was sad because there were literally no vegetables and it's the only thing I wanted at that point in time, so I ended up with potato chips and coffee...kinda the opposite but I was hungry!

Overall, because of the limited food choices I didn't really go crazy, but I do know that it was likely more fat than my current macros allow for but that's the way of things on Turky Day.

This morning I woke late after getting home at 1am and did not in anyway feel like doing a fasted workout, but I drank more coffee and got it in anyways since I knew it would make me feel better about my potato chip binge the day before.

Today's meals have been spot on and super easy because of the leftovers I got to take home.

I'm thinking I want to switch up my workout plan a bit and just do some fasted cardio in the morning and then do my lifting later on, doing both in the morning feels like it may be too much on an empty stomach...perhaps it's why I've been feeling so unmotivated to workout at all in the morning when I'm usually excited about it.

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Healthy Holiday Drinks

I love the holidays, but when it comes to holiday drinks, most aren’t even remotely healthy. It's also the time of year when people go crazy for desserts, so if you're craving a bit of nostalgia give one of these recipes a try for a healthier version of those cookies and treats!  Let me know what you think in the comments!

Recipe Instructions:

• All recipes (unless noted) use 1 serving or 1 scoop of protein powder of your choice (I use either Shakeology or Vega Sport in my recipes).
• Feel free to substitute any liquid ingredient for your preference. (water, almond milk, coconut water, etc.)
• Remember to keep track of your macros if you are counting! Adding bananas, peanut butter and other goodies can greatly increase those numbers. All nutrition data listed is accurate only if using the Shakeology...if you use the Vega or any other protein powder it will be different
• Best made with a blender!

The Recipes

Creamy Candy Cane

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder
½ tsp. pure peppermint extract
1 cup ice
- Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

Chocolate Eggnog

Ingredients:
½ cup water
½ unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Chocolate protein powder
½ tsp. ground allspice
1 tsp. pure rum extract

1 cup ice

1 raw egg yolk (optional)

- Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

Cinnamon Apple Cider

Ingredients:
½ cup water
½ cup all-natural apple cider
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
½ cup ice

- Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

Cinnamon Roll Smoothie

Ingredients:
¾ cup brewed coffee, chilled
¼ cup milk
1 scoop Vanilla protein powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup ice

- Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

Peppermint Mocha Smoothie

Ingredients:
½ cup brewed coffee, chilled
½ cup unsweetened almond milk
1 scoop Chocolate or Mocha protein powder
½ tsp. pure peppermint extract
1 cup ice

- Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

Vanilla Nog Smoothie

Ingredients:
½ cup nonfat milk
½ cup water
1 tsp. rum extract
1 scoop Vanilla Shakeology
¼ tsp. ground nutmeg
1 cup ice

1 raw egg yolk (optional)

- Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

Gingerbread Man Smoothie

Ingredients:
1 cup nonfat milk
1 scoop Chocolate Shakeology
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 thin slice fresh ginger, peeled, finely chopped (or ½ tsp. ground ginger)
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 cup ice

- Place all ingredients in blender and blend till smooth

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Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies

The holiday season is a time to celebrate with family and friends. Unfortunately, it’s also a time when any people eat too much and gain weight. Of course you can control whether you overeat or allow yourself to gain weight. Research has shown that the American on average gain 3-5 pounds during the holiday season. Without implementing a healthy lifestyle throughout the year, over the course of five years, holiday weight gain can really add up. So why not start by implementing some Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies that can help keep that 3-5 pounds off your waistline.

The holidays don’t have to mean weight gain. If you focus on these Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies you will be have a healthy balance of food, activity, and fun. By implementing these few Healthy Holiday Eating Strategies you can stay healthy through the holiday season and be better off and more likely to really hit your New Year’s Health and Wellness Goals.

1. Be Real! Don’t try to lose weight during the holidays. Have your focus be on maintaining your current weight.
2. Plan and schedule time for exercise. Exercise will help prevent weight gain, but also is the best holiday stress reliever. If you get in 30-45 minutes of exercise a day during the holiday season, you will have less stress and keep weight gain at bay.
3. Don’t skip meals. Eating your three meals and two snacks a day is important every day, but even more so during the holiday season. This pattern can keep you from overindulging at parties. Eating light snack like raw vegetables, a piece of fruit, drinking a total nutrition shake, and drinking a large glass of water before parties can really make a difference.
4. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Savor your favorite holiday treats by eating small portions of each rather than full portions of everything. Sit down, get comfortable, and enjoy.
5. Be aware of beverages. Alcohol can lessen inhibitions and induce overeating; non-alcoholic beverages can also be full of calories and sugar. Start yourself off with a large glass of water, and go to the party with the thought of only two drinks. After the large glass of water, have one drink, then two glasses of water before your second drink.
6. Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering. Offering to bring a healthy entrée to the party or gathering can ensure you have something that fits your plan. With the greater emphasis on healthy nutrition in recent years, more than likely there will be other more healthful items available that you can also enjoy.
7. Practice Healthy Holiday Cooking. Preparing favorite dishes with lower unhealthy fats and excess calories helps promote healthy holiday eating. Incorporate some of these simple-cooking tips in traditional holiday recipes to make them healthier.

• Gravy — Refrigerate the gravy to harden fat. Skim the fat off. This will save a whopping 56 grams of fat per cup.
• Stuffing — Use a little less bread and add more onions, garlic, celery, and vegetables. Moisten or flavor with low fat low sodium chicken or vegetable broth.
• Green Bean Casserole — Cook fresh green beans with chucks of potatoes instead of making the traditional green bean casserole.
• Mashed Potato — Use pureed cauliflower made with low sodium vegetable broth.

Enjoy the holidays, plan a time for activity, incorporate healthy recipes into your holiday meals, and don’t restrict yourself from enjoying your favorite holiday foods. In the long run, your mind and body will thank you.

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Day 6 Macro plan update

DAY 6 THOUGHTS

Yesterday was a tough day.

I felt like I didn't sleep well again and had a really hard time motivating to workout. My quads were really sore and it made doing leg lifts really tough, so I coped out a bit and did some Brazil Butt Lift exercises instead. Overall my workout was very sub-par. I also could not motivate to do my workout fasted, so I had my morning shake first and then exercised, which helped...I think I was just feeling really run down.

My eating was spot on otherwise though! I like using the MyFitnessPal app a lot, though I'd prefer if I just got my shit together and did a big meal prep day and got everything laid out for the week...such is the life on an entrepreneur! No days off to do such things :)

But despite that I'm still finding myself staying within the guideline because I know how important the nutrition part is.

Eating all the carbs and reducing the fat is still messing with me mentally a bit, I can tell I'm craving more fat but I'm not sure if it's just mental.

I am loving how much vegetables this is making me eat...I always eat veggies at every meal but now that I'm including more dense sources of them to help reach my carbs it is more than I would be eating otherwise.

I didn't enjoy eating the 4oz of smoked salmon all that much, I normally LOVE smoked salmon but somehow that one day it felt like WAY too much salt for me so I may sub that one out for some other things.

This morning I'm having my coffee black for the first time since starting...I'm supposed to drink it this way but I didn't want to give up my coconut milk (which I started to measure on day 1 and have been using 1tsp. in each 12oz I have...which turns out is the perfect amount). Yesterday I got some coffee from a coffee shop and had it black and it tasted WAY better than what I make at home so I think I need to clean my coffee pot and get some better coffee.

I'm going skiing on Monday and I'm a bit nervous about how I'm going to bring all the food I need for the day but it will be a good test!!

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Giving The Gift of Health and Fitness

Finding the perfect holiday gift for your friends, family, and loved ones is paramount. Giving the Gift of Health and Fitness can be popular since many people have self-imposed deadlines of January 1st as the unofficial day of fitness redemption. Whether the recipient is a diehard fitness enthusiast, a novice exerciser, or a weekend warrior, Giving the Gift of Health and Fitnesscan be exciting to see when gifts are exchanged.

Check out the suggestions below to help you with your search for the perfect fitness gift that will bring Joy to the recipient, but also you for Giving the Gift of Health and Fitness.

Workout Clothes

You can’t go wrong with fitness clothes, just make sure you get the size right. Fitness clothing has come a long way. There are hundreds of options offering their unique twist on comfort, technology, and convenience. A lot of the clothing also offers options for carrying phones, cash, and keys.

At Home Fitness Programs

Time is the biggest excuse as to why people don’t workout. Using at-home fitness programs can take away the time factor and make it possible. Especially if you are using high quality programs like P90X3, 21 Day Fix, Insanity Max30, 21 Day Fix Extreme and more. These programs provide workouts that can be completed in 30 minutes or less, and provide guaranteed results.

On-Demand Fitness Programming

Again going back to time. With on-demand programs you can work out anywhere and anytime. The best value for On-Demand Fitness is Beachbody On-Demand. For only $12 a month you get over $3,000 worth of fitness programing, nutrition plans, workout and nutrition tracking, and so much more. Plus, it gives the recipient the ability to save 10% on all other product that they decide to purchase.

Trigger Point Roller

Trigger Point Rollers are great therapy for people who work out frequently or are just starting out. It will help them to massage their muscles enabling them to move more freely and efficiently, while improving overall performance.

Performance Nutrition Supplements

Having performance nutrition products will aid in getting the best results from each workout, and a lot of times helps keep people going by reducing soreness. Using high quality performance nutrition can help people get through the toughest workouts and crush their goals. The Beachbody Performance Nutrition Line is taking the supplement industry by storm…and turning it on its head. If you want to give the very best performance nutrition this holiday season you will want to give Beachbody Performance Nutrition.

Wireless Bluetooth Headphones

This is a super cool gift for the novice to the experienced exerciser. No more wires running down your side or back as you are trying to be active. Plus, all wireless headphones sync to android and iPhones, as well as other mp3 devices. This is a great gift idea for all fitness levels.

Shakeology

Not everyone is ready to hit the New Year running with exercise. Some people you have on your list will want to start with just some simple nutrition changes. Shakeology is a total nutrition shake that has been clinically proven to aid in weight loss, lowering cholesterol, lowering blood sugar levels and more. It is not only for people who need to lose weight. This shake is everyone’s daily dose of dense nutrition. Give the gift of total nutrition with Shakeology, which comes in four flavors, and two vegan flavors.

Stocking Stuffer Ideas

Stocking Stuffer ideas can include athletic socks, water bottles, shaker cups, lip balm, headbands, yoga mats, sports bags, gift cards and so much more. Remember, little things mean a lot.

Giving the Gift of Health and Fitness is not only just about giving gifts, it is about giving what’s really the most important thing you could give… Health. Without our health we don’t have anything. Plus, you can always start a family and friends’ accountability group to keep everyone going all year long.

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Five Rules of Holiday Fitness

Don’t be that person who puts fitness goals on the back burner this holiday season. You can enjoy the holidays and crush your goals by following the Five Rules of Holiday Fitness!

Everyone always seems to have the same concerns when the holidays come around. We all want to attend as many events, dinners, and ugly-sweater parties as possible, but we don’t want our health and fitness to suffer as a result.

You would think that through the years people would have figured out how to have their cake and health and fitness, too. The reality is that some of us have, but too many of us have not. The answer should not be about desperately doing everything you can do from January to November for your health and fitness and then just see what happens in November and December. You need a new approach.

The Five Rules of Holiday Fitness could single-handedly be your turning point and finally teach you to learn to love the holidays and maintain your health and fitness levels throughout!

So, let’s take a look at the old way most people do things and the new rules that will help.

OLD WAY: Try (AND FAIL) to stick to a split program through the holidays

NEW RULE #1: Do Full-Body Workouts during the holiday season.

Things come up during the holiday season all of the time.  If you are doing split workouts, you will be so scattered that you will be missing some body parts and over-working others.

A few missed workouts does not mean you should throw in the towel until next week or next month. Instead, consider following a program of full-body workouts that use resistance, cardio, and yoga or stretching will keep you moving forward even if you miss a day or two.

Since time is valued this time of year, it’s a great time to look at At-Home Workouts. Working out at home saves time and money because you won’t have to drive to the gym. At-Home Workouts doesn’t mean your workouts will be easy. If anything, they may feel harder! Many At-Home Workout Programs incorporate supersets, cardio bursts, or other compound movements to elevate your heart rate and maximize your time. Trust me: you won’t lose any ground. Honestly you will more likely gain ground and see results, and the gym may be something you do once in a while after the holidays.

OLD WAY: Allowing Events and Workouts to Compete for Your Time

NEW RULE #2: Good Morning Workout!

The holiday season typically makes everyone’s schedules more jam-packed with events after work. This can also be a time that many plan to workout. So which do you do? During the holiday season the holiday events typically win.  There’s no reason to waste time figuring this out. The decision is “Good Morning Workout”.  

Doing your workout first thing in the morning keeps you on track and never missing a beat. Plus it lowers your stress because you are not thinking about having a workout when the unexpected event comes up, because yours is already done.  If you are gym person, then load up your gym bag the night before to save time and give yourself enough time to eat, get to the gym, clean up, and off to work. This again is where At-Home Programs can ease the stress of time. It can save you 45-60 minutes of time in the morning which could be used for extra sleep.

OLD WAY: Don’t consume all the decadent treats and sweets

NEW RULE #3: Try to eat only the treats and sweets new and appealing, don’t just gobble all the old favorites. Have a small portion of your favorite seasonal treats, and skip the things you can get anytime of the year.

Most people fail miserably at this one, so set yourself up with an incentive. Maybe it’s money in a jar for every time you skip something you can have anytime or have already had this season. Whatever incentive works for you, try it and do it.

Keep in mind that sugary treats can be found everywhere you look, so be mindful. Mindful means if you want the pumpkin pie or egg nog, scrap the Oreo cookies in the breakroom or a cafe mocha on the way home. You don’t want to ride the blood-sugar high all New Year’s and have to make resolutions that you would have never needed to make.

OLD WAY: Try to resist the urge even if you are starving.

NEW RULE #4: Plain and simple… Don’t let yourself get to the point you are starving!

Planning ahead becomes crucial and staying hydrated is important. Being prepared for the unexpected during the holiday season (or anytime) is important. Pack protein bars, raw almonds, apples or other fruit, or packets of total nutrition Shakeology.

Having these extra healthy snack options will help get through the day and are necessary before going to an unexpected holiday event. A healthy snack prior to your event will help you stick to the plan of not eating whatever throughout the night.

Drinking a 12-16-ounce glass of water prior to going to the event will also help you feel full when you arrive. Keep drinking water throughout the event.

OLD WAY: Training all year with hopes that people notice during the holidays

NEW RULE #5:  Invite friends and family to join you for your workouts, whether at home or the gym.

The holidays are often times when you see people you haven’t seen for a while.

It’s normal to secretly want to shock those people, and have them give you the “Wow” compliment! Or the “What have you been doing?” “You look great!” So instead of being secret and looking for your compliment, why not help inspire them to embrace the fit life. It is always better to give and inspire.

Make a workout date with a friend, family member, or coworker this holiday season. It will help hold both of you accountable for getting your workouts completed and provide a more natural platform for fitness questions and conversation, should any arise. Give the gift of health by inviting them and giving them an At-Home Fitness Challenge Pack to keep them going after the holidays.

Also remember to go for walks after big dinners and do things as a family like skiing, snowshoeing, hitting the beach, or going for a hike, depending on your climate.

Whatever you do, do it with friends and family. Inspire versus go for the compliment. Give the gift of health and fitness.

The bottom line is the holidays come once a year, but they still occur every year. So lower your stress and stay healthy and fit through the holidays by dumping the old ways and implementing these Five Rules for Holiday Fitness.

Finish the year strong!

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Day 2 macro plan update & why a health coach needs a coach!

Why does a health coach need a coach?

Well, I did a periscope about this topic today!

Feel free to check it out:


DAY 2 THOUGHTS

Today went a bit better than yesterday as far as the workout goes...doing cardio after the weight portion was way better, and more of what I'm used to when it comes to exercise.

I still haven't had a full day off to plan and prep my meals so I'm still doing things a bit on the fly, which it tough only because I can't follow the plan exactly, which would make it easier.

Instead I'm trying to make substitutions with what I have on hand, and it's working out ok but is more time consuming for me to think about, and using up brain space for this is not what I want to be doing, so I'm looking forward to when I have some time to really get things together.

I'm finding that my energy is different than normal, I feel like I have more energy somehow but also feel a bit more tired, I'm guessing this is just me adjusting to things, but it could also be because I'm writing this late at night and it's just time for bed!

I'm definitely not used to all the rice, so I've been doing more starchy carbs for some of the meals like the apron squash I roasted the other day.

Where do beets fall in? Are they like squash where 1 cup counts for 1/2 cup of starchy carbs or are they more like a starch themselves?

Also, what's the reasoning behind the protein only shake right after working out and then a breakfast shake later on? I'm super hungry after working out in the morning and want the second shake immediately after I finish the first, can I just combine it all together?

Eating six meals has also been a big change; I tended to eat three meals and probably two very small snacks a day before, and by small I mean a handful of nuts/seeds and then some chocolate and dried fruit in the evening, so the larger snacks and smaller meals is certainly different, though not bad.

This may also be TMI but my bowels have been moving along more consistently, which is a good thing, so I'm taking that as a sign that my body is happy with what's going on so far.

This is probably the most I've ever journaled about how my day went, and it's funny to think that someone else will actually be reading it, unlike all of the other times I've ever tried to do it consistently...maybe that's what will make it easier.

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